


Always on your Mind

by kittykaty



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M, Mind Reading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 02:09:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13156971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittykaty/pseuds/kittykaty
Summary: From electric shocks, Nino on a mission and people being slow in general.





	Always on your Mind

**Author's Note:**

> This my story from Nino exchange 2016. I had fun writing this. AiMiya is always cute and fun to write. <3 Also, this was the first time writing Kazama^^  
> WARNING: Don't try what Nino and Sho did, seriously, I warned you XD

“Kazu, I'm done! You can use the bath… “

Nino's brother appeared in the door, his hair still wet and messy from the bath he just took.

In fact, the Ninomiyas, Shunsuke and Nino (his name was Kazunari but people called him Nino since ages, except Shunsuke) weren't just simple bothers. Actually, they were twins, not identical though, Nino being a few minutes older. He had always wondered how someone as weird as Shunsuke could be his twin. They were different in more than just their physical appearance.

Shunsuke loved to be outside and do sports whereas Nino hated all sorts of outdoor activities. Furthermore, Shunsuke was a pretty shy person, usually he said nothing if there were more than two people around him. Nino, on the other hand, had always be the one doing all the talking.

Still, their family and their friends insisted that the two actually shared a lot more than just their birthday. They claimed that the brothers had an inexplicable cuteness upon themselves that softened even the most determined people causing them to go all crazy over the twins.

Nino couldn't understand at all where his brother was supposed to be cute (however, he was completely fine with people swooning over himself). He rather thought of his brother as annoying, especially in moments like these, when he had just returned from work, started his Nintendo DS game and was about to begin the boss fight. Who cared about a bath such a moment???

“Didn't you hear me? The bath is ready for you. It'll get cold if you don't hurry!” his brother started again.

“I'll go in later,” Nino replied and hoped it would cause his brother to go away. However, he had touched one of his brothers soft spots.

“But it's a waste as the water is already warm. It costs energy to heat it up again.”

“Who cares?! It's not as if we don't have the money… “ Nino was getting slightly annoyed. He had more serious troubles than this bath – that boss was hard to beat.

However, his reply had been the worst he could have given and only made his brother more angry.

“You're so irresponsible. It's not a question of having the money or not. You should think about saving the energy to help our environment. Because of egoistic jerks like you, our planet is being destroyed more and more until we end up living in a brown and muddy place!”

Nino sighed. He should have been more careful with his answers since his brother was really serious about this environment thing. Nino knew that Shunsuke would go on and on about saving their planet until Nino would give in. Therefore, he could save time and do what his brother wants right now.

Sighing again, Nino stood up.

“Alright, I'll use the warm water now so we don't have to re-heat it.”

Content with his brothers decision, Shunsuke left the living room to find some clothes.

Nino entered the bathroom, his Nintendo DS still in his hands. He would not give up on his game now just because his brother was a bit too concerned about the environment. He could play while soaking in the water after all.

The battery of his Nintendo DS was nearly dead, but luckily there was an electrical outlet quite close to the bath. He plugged his device in and put it on the margin of the bathtub. He got out of his clothes hurriedly as he wanted to continue as quickly as possible. When he sat one foot into the hot water Nino thought that it was indeed very relaxing.

He pulled his other foot in, ready to sit down and start playing. However, his foot got tangled in the cable. He lost his balance and fell into the water, his DS following him with a loud splash.

The thought of electricity and water not going well with another crossed Nino's mind before he felt the electric shock hitting his body.

“Nino, are you okay?” He heard his brother coming towards the bathroom.

Nino checked himself, moving his arms and legs but aside from the obvious faint he seemed to be allright. He still felt a bit dizzy though.

Not wanting his brother to see him lying naked in the tub with his device (Shunsuke would only start talking about his addiction to games again), Nino quickly replied that he was fine while he struggled to get up.

“Are you sure?” Shunsuke sounded worried, but had stopped in front of the bathroom door.

“I'm perfectly fine. Nothing happened.” Nino replied while he climbed out of the bath.

I'm pretty sure he fell into the bathing tub but doesn't want me to see him. Probably because he brought his DS with him. He has a serious problem…

“I don't!” Nino screamed towards the door.

“I didn't say anything,” Shunsuke gave back and Nino heard him moving away. This had always been his brother's strategy – move away when it's still possible to avoid a fight.

Nino stretched, but he really seemed to be fine. His DS on the other hand had not survived the crash into the water. It was impossible to turn it on no matter how many times Nino tried. Maybe he could let it dry and try it again.

Since there was nothing else to do, Nino decided to go to bed after all. Another day at work was lying ahead of him and his boss was currently coming up with a lot of work for him.

_ _ _

Aw~ Today he looks overly cute again. Look at his tousled hair.

I love his nose. It gives his face such a cute touch.

Have you seen his butt? It's the cutest thing on earth. Especially in these tight trousers he is wearing today.

OMG, his shirt today. I love the flower print. Maybe I should ask him where he buys his clothes.

I seriously want to touch the mole at his chin.

If he smiles at me again like this, I swear, I'll die.

Nino tried not to look as puzzled as he felt right now. He knew that the women in his department were flailing over him every day. However, they usually whispered to each other behind their hands, trying not to be so obvious about their feelings (although he was pretty much aware of his effect on them). So hearing them talking about him as if he wasn't there was a weird thing and although he loved to have everyone’s attention, he felt really disturbed right now.

When he reached his desk, he saw that his friend and colleague was already there.

“Good morning, Jun. Do you know what's up with the girls today?” Nino asked him after he sat down.

Jun leaned forward to take a look at the said group of giggling women.

“What's up with them?” he asked and looked at Nino with raised eyebrows.

“Didn't you hear them just now?”

“No…“ Jun gave back.

“Never mind.” Nino sighed and switched on his PC.

I should really pay attention to my surroundings instead of looking at Ohno's butt.

Nino's eyes popped open and he turned towards Jun, not believing what he had just heard. Jun was typing furiously on his PC, his cheeks red and his expression flustered.

“So you finally admit that you like him?” Nino asked, a smiled spreading over his whole face.

“Like who?” Jun looked up and raised his eyebrows again.

“Didn't you just talk about Ohno's butt?” Seriously, Jun was behaving really weird today.

“NO!”

“But you just said… “

“I never said anything about Ohno's butt!!!” Jun screamed and his co-workers, including the person who's butt was the current topic, looked over to the two guys.

Nino just shrugged. He thought that Jun had finally moved forward in admitting his feelings for their co-worker. It was more than obvious that these two had a crush on each other but none of them was brave enough to ask the other one out. Still, the whole company was waiting for the day that they finally would become a couple, but as for now, nothing seemed to happen.

Jun was being his stubborn self, telling each and everybody who asked that he didn't have a crush on Ohno. He told Nino that he was straight, so there was no way that he would fall for a man, if he could stop asking him about it, thanks.

Ohno, on the other hand, was known for having a liking in men but he seemed to be too shy to approach the other man and Jun's obvious denial didn't help. Further, Jun, with his broad shoulders, distinctive features like his prominent eyebrows and his gentleman-like behaviour was on top of the dating list of many women in the office (after Nino, of course). That was most probably another reason why Ohno had never tried to make his move on Jun.

Maybe, they needed a little push…

Before Nino could think about this further, his boss appeared in front of him.

“I need you in my office now, Mr. Ninomiya.”

Without waiting for a reply, his boss turned around and while rolling his eyes at Jun, Nino got up to follow him. Sakurai Sho, his boss, seemed to have found a liking in using Nino as his private secretary since the beginning of the week. Maybe he had a fight with his last one. However, Sakurai Sho was a workaholic, which means that he has a lot of work to do which also means, he has a lot of for work Nino …

_ _ _

When Nino left Sho's office again, it was already late in the afternoon and Nino had a bad headache. His boss seemed to have the habit to talk while he was working. The whole day he had to listen to Sho rambling on about the costs and merits of his company while he was working on his own calculations. It had been really hard to concentrate and all Nino wanted to do now was going home and relax on the sofa. He hoped that his DS would work again after he had let it dry the whole night and day.

When he came back to his desk, Jun was just about to leave. He smiled at Nino.

“He must really like you if he lets you work in his office the whole day,” Jun said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“This is not funny,” Nino gave back and began to massage his temples. “He was mumbling numbers the whole time, it was so hard to concentrate. I rather want him to hate me so I don't have to do this again … “

Jun just laughed. He was making remarks about their boss having found a liking in Nino pretty often (too often if you ask Nino).

Nino was just about to tell him that he should mind his own business (preferable his feelings for Ohno) when Jun handed him a note.

“Oh, Aiba-chan called. He wanted me to tell you that you're supposed to meet him, your bro and my sis this evening. They said that they have something important to talk about. “

Nino took the note with the address at which he was supposed to be in a few minutes and sighed. It seemed that he would not spend his evening on the sofa. He quickly considered taking an aspirin against his headache, but decided against it. Aiba usually had this effect on him that he could forget all his worries and pain when he was with him and this should be sufficient. Aiba wasn't his best friend for nothing …

_ _ _

When Nino entered the bar, he spotted the trio he was supposed to meet immediately. They were sitting on their usual table, their usual drinks in front of them, their usual smiles on their faces. Nino's mood lightened up immediately upon seeing those three, well, at least upon Aiba and Nana. He was seeing his slightly annoying brother several times a day after all.

“Hi, there,” Nino said and let himself fall next to Aiba.

“Nino-chan, I'm glad you could make it.” Aiba beamed and threw his arm around Nino's shoulder.

“Did I have a choice?” Nino joked but enjoyed Aiba's warmth next to him. Aiba was his best friend ever since he could think. He lived in the house next door, so Aiba, Shunsuke and Nino did everything together. They went to the same kindergarten, to the same junior high school and to the same high school. People called them “triplets” and Aiba loved the idea of being Nino's and Shunsuke's brother.

A drink was placed in front of Nino, the waiter already knowing what Nino liked to drink.

“So, what is the important thing you want to talk about?” Nino wanted to know after he took a sip of his ice-cold coke.

Nana sighed. “My brother...”

“Jun?” Nino made sure.

Nana nodded. “I'm getting so annoyed by him. His moods lately are terrible. He seems to need a good fuck.”

Aiba snickered and Kazama shook his head smiling.

“No, seriously. He either scolds me for the tiniest things or he ignores me completely. He is so unbalanced lately, it's frustrating, “ Nana went on.

“He doesn't appear like this at work, though,” Nino said, feeling the slight need to defend his friend.

“Of course he doesn't,” Nana replied. “Because the object of his desire is close to him then.”

Nino laughed. “You're talking about Ohno?”

Nana nodded. “Ever since he fell in love with him, he is moody to no end. But he doesn't admit it.”

“Maybe he doesn't know that he fell in love with him,” Aiba threw in and Nino nodded.

“That's the problem here. Jun has been with girls until now. He still wants to think that he is not attracted to men,” he explained and Nana sighed.

“He can be so stubborn, it's frustrating.”

Shunsuke put his arm around Nana. “Don't worry. Nino will come up with something and soon Jun and Ohno will be a very happy couple.”

Nino threw his brother an angry look. He didn't like the direction this conversation was heading. He usually did not meddle with people's relationships.

“Nino-chan … ,” Nana said and looked at Nino with big eyes. “I really want my brother to be happy and right now he is super confused and not his usual self. He needs help and you are the only one who can do it. You are working with both of them, so you're in the perfect position. Please, can you help Jun?”

Nino felt three pairs of eyes looking at him. When he caught Aiba's look, he knew he had lost. He had never been able to deny Aiba any request even if it was a crazy or ridiculous one.

“Allright, I will think of something,” he said although he had no idea what he was going to do.

“Thank you, Nino.” Nana pushed Aiba out of her way and threw her arms around Nino's neck. “Seriously, you're my saviour!”

Nino smiled and looked over to Aiba who showed Nino a thumbs up. His brother, however, threw him a sour look. Nino was confused. Hadn't it been Shunsuke's idea to help Nana? Seriously, he would never understand his brother…

“I'm so glad that you're my friend, Nino,” Nana went on, seriously relieved.

“Me too,” Aiba grinned and joined the group hug.

“What about me~,” Shunsuke began to whine.

“I am glad to be your friend as well, Shun-chan,” Aiba quickly said and moved over to hug Nino's twin as well.

“But he likes me more,” Nino threw in, basically just to tease his brother. However, deep inside he was hoping that Aiba would agree.

However, Shunsuke replied before Aiba could. “How do you know?”

“Because I do!” Nino replied stubbornly.

“Is this your “I'm-the-older-one-thing” again?” Shunsuke threw back, crossing his arms before his chest.

“The “I'm-the-older-one-thing”?” Nana asked puzzled.

“Yeah,” Shunsuke sighed. “Nino always claims things because “he is the older one”. Why do you think everyone calls him Nino although my last name is Ninomiya as well?”

“Because I am the older one,” Nino answered before Nana could.

“See, “ Shunsuke shrugged.

“But I don't care who of you is the older one,” Aiba threw in. “I like you both.”

“Equally?” Nino and Shunsuke asked at the same time.

“I like you both in different ways,” Aiba explained and then started talking about an entirely different topic, something, all three of them were used to.

I'm pretty sure he is lying.

Nino turned to Shunsuke. “Why do you say that?”

Shunsuke's eyes grew wide. “I didn't say anything.”

Nino was about to reply when Aiba turned to him. “Ne, Nino, do you think we could make Jun understand his love for men if he watches gay porn with us?”

“No, I don't think so,“ Nino replied, trying to hide his laughter.

_ _ _

Nino yawned when he entered the office. They had stayed in the bar for too long the previous evening, trying to figure out a plan to bring Jun and Ohno together, but they hadn't made any progress at all.

He's wearing THIS pullover again. I love it!

The teddy bear pullover. He's so cute ~

I wish I could hug him.

Why does a man in his thirties look that cute???

Nino shook his head, trying to ignore the comments. Women nowadays were really straightforward. He wasn't sure if he could cope with it.

He sat down next to Jun who simply nodded. He seemed to be in an especially bad mood today. Nino quickly connected that there might be a connection between the empty seat at Ohno's desk and Jun's bad mood. However, before Nino could pick on Jun about it, his boss appeared in front of him.

“Good morning, Mr. Ninomiya. You're just in time. I want you in my office.”

Nino had a hard time suppressing an angry moan while he watched Sakurai Sho's back getting smaller.

“It seems that he is not able to survive more than 12 hours without you,” Jun sniggered, his mood obviously going up again.

“Oh, shut up!” Nino groaned while he grabbed his bag. Hoping that his boss would not need him the whole day, he made his way to Sakurai's office.

_ _ _

 

If I reduce the costs in the production, I might be able to pay some sort of Christmas money…

Nino sighed, frustrated. He just couldn't endure it any longer. Listening to Sakurai Sho's mumbling was distracting him too much. He couldn't concentrate on his own work any longer.

He coughed to get Sho's attention.

“Mr. Ninomiya?”

“I'm sorry, Boss, but I cannot concentrate when you are thinking aloud.”

Sho looked at him with a puzzled expression. “I'm sorry, I am not sure what you are talking about.”

“Well, I can hear you talking about reducing costs in the production, “ Nino tried to explain.

“I didn't say that”, Sakurai fell into Nino's words.

“But I heard you saying it,” Nino insisted.

I like you!

Nino's eyes popped open. “W-What?”

Suddenly, Sakurai started to laugh. Nino couldn't make any sense out of his boss' behaviour, so he simply waited until his boss was done.

“You are someone really special, Mr. Ninomiya,” Sakurai began and Nino wasn't sure if he was supposed to reply.

“You have a very special talent,” Sakurai went on. “You can read the thoughts of the people around you.”

“I can…what?” By now, Nino was pretty sure that his boss had gone mad.

“You can read thoughts,” Sakurai said again but it still didn't make sense to Nino.

I was just joking a few seconds ago. I'm in a really nice relationship, so don't worry.

Nino couldn't help but sigh in relief. This would have turned out really weird if his boss had developed any feelings for him and he didn't want Jun to be right.

But… wait. His boss hadn't moved his lips just now. He was simply smiling at him.

“Did you just…think that?” Nino asked and Sakurai answered in his thoughts.

As I told you, you can read other people's thoughts. Did something weird happen to you the last days?

“Not really…“ Nino began, but then he remembered his incident in the bathtub again. He told Sakurai about it.

This might be the cause for it.

Nino just stared at his boss. In order to not confuse his subordinate any more, Sakurai began to speak again.

“I am pretty sure it's not easy to comprehend, but I think you have to live with it from now on. You might even be able to see its benefits soon enough. I suggest you go back to your desk now until I figure out a way to not distract you with my thoughts anymore.”

Nino nodded. He was surprised how well his boss was coping with his supernatural power. Actually, his boss was dealing with it a lot better than he was by himself.

He left the office of his boss and while he walked back to his desk, he concentrated on several thoughts of his colleagues, testing his ability. It was actually pretty funny to listen to their thoughts.

When he was close to his desk, he concentrated on Jun who was just fighting the urge to write Ohno a mail to ask why he was absent that day.

Nino grinned.

Maybe, his boss was right. Maybe, being able to read other people's thoughts was a pretty good thing, especially when you have been send on a mission to bring a stubborn man together with a really shy man.

Maybe, this was going to be fun...

 

“I have a plan,” Nino said conspiratorially. Shunsuke, Aiba and Nana leaned closer to Nino, eager to hear about his idea. He hadn't told them about his new ability yet and he was not going to do it soon. Basically, he didn't even need it to carry out the plan, but it was definitely amusing to be able to know what Ohno and Jun would be thinking.

“Jun is a person who gets jealous very easily, right Nana?” Nino confirmed and Jun's little sister nodded.

“And if he considers something to be his, he doesn't want someone else to touch it, correct?”

Again, Nana nodded. “I remember that I touched his precious hairspray once and he got so mad at me, it was scary,” she said.

“Does he really use hairspray?” Aiba wanted to know and Nana sniggered.

“He has more beauty products than me and he is very particular about his hair,“ she laughed.

“But he seriously looks great,” Aiba threw in. Nino felt his mood dropping upon this comment, but decided not to care right now. He was on a more important mission.

“Back to the topic, what would happen if there is someone else in the company getting overly attached to Ohno?” he asked and saw that his friends were about to understand his plan.

“You mean, YOU will be the one showing his interest in Ohno?” Shunsuke asked and Nino could see the twinkle in his brother's eyes. Maybe, they had something in common once in a while.

“Do you think this could really work?” Nana asked, not as convinced as Shunsuke.

“Of course. Just think about yourself. Although you might not know it, you are in love and then you see someone else smiling at your loved one various times a day. How would you feel?”

It was a rhetorical question, but that was no problem for Nino. He concentrated on the thoughts of his friends and could easily hear their answers.

I'd go mad. - Sunsuke

I'd feel the urge to hit the person trying to get close to my love. - Nana

... - Aiba

Well, Aiba had been a bit slow at some times before, Nino was used to that, although he had been interested in Aiba's answer the most, to be honest.

Nevertheless, Nino went on questioning his friends, to make them understand the brilliancy of his plan.

“And how would you feel about watching someone else whispering something in the ear of your beloved person after which they would start to laugh?”

Again, his friends didn't voice their answers, but in their heads their answers were pretty clear.

I would have to leave the room to cool down. - Shunsuke

I would start thinking about all the wrestling moves I'd use on this other person. - Nana

... - Aiba

Seriously, Aiba was not in good shape today. Maybe he just needed something more concrete.

“And what would you do if you see someone else touching the butt of the person you desire?”

Accidentally pour my coffee over his shirt that very moment. - Shunsuke

TRY THE WRESTLING MOVES ON THAT PERSON! - Nana

... - Aiba

Nino got frustrated about Aiba. Shouldn't he get mad too? Nino would certainly explode if someone would try to touch Aiba's butt.

“I think it's a very good plan, Nino-chan,” Aiba suddenly said, which soothed Nino immediately. So Aiba was listening after all.

“Yes, I also think it could work quite well,” Shunsuke added.

“Ah, I can see the end of Jun's moody days,” Nana squealed happily. “Thanks, Nino!”

“Sure,” Nino grinned. Now that he even had the approval of Jun's sister, he could finally start acting out his plan. He would start on Monday morning.

_ _ _

With a wide grin, Nino took his seat next to Jun. A short look into the direction of Ohno's seat told him that the latter was there, an important factor in carrying out his mission.

“Good morning!” Nino chirped and received a nod from Jun.

He looks good. Maybe it was just a tiny cold.

Nino smiled wickedly. So Jun has been worried about Ohno.

“Ohno is back, huh?” Nino said and could see from the corner of his eye that Jun looked into the said man's direction. “I'm glad. I was a bit worried about him,” Nino added, sharpening his senses to hear Jun's thoughts.

While Jun simply acknowledged Nino's words with a nod, his thoughts went wild.

Why is Nino worried about Ohno? Is he interested in him? Well, it's true that Nino likes men, but is Ohno his type?

Content with the way Jun was thinking, Nino decided to take the whole thing one step further.

“You know what, I will just ask him why he was absent on Friday.” With that, Nino stood up and made his way towards Ohno.

He could hear Jun's confused but also slightly angry thoughts in his head. His plan seemed to work.

When Nino approached Ohno, the small man looked up to him.

“Mr. Ninomiya, what can I do for you?” Ohno asked, surprised but polite.

Nino leaned closer to Ohno. Their heads were hidden behind the monitor of Ohno's PC and Nino noted amused that Jun was asking himself what was happening.

“I'm here to help you to get closer to Jun, preferably to start a relationship with him,” Nino explained and Ohno's questioning thoughts hit him in such a big wave that he lost Jun for a few seconds. He cursed himself for not training enough over the weekend. He had read his brother's thoughts as much as possible but he had never tried to read two minds at the same time.

“Trust me. I want you to be together with Jun just like the whole company. You've got all of us on your side. We only have to convince Jun,” Nino went on and he could hear that Ohno was stopping to doubt him.

“I'm planning to make Jun jealous. I am pretty sure this will work out, but I need your help. Will you act along with me?” he asked Ohno.

After a few seconds Ohno answered and although Nino knew the answer way before Ohno said it, he felt relieved.

“Yes!”

“Great! Jun will be yours before you know it,” Nino promised and raised himself again.

“Thanks,” Ohno said and smiled at his helper. Nino was hit by a wave of thoughts what Ohno was planning to do with Jun when he was his and he decided that it was time to leave and concentrate on the pretty angry Jun again.

“Sure,” Nino replied and ruffled Ohno's hair before he made his way back to his seat. He could hear Jun cursing him in his mind and his eyes were shooting lightnings into Nino's direction, but Nino acted as if he didn't realize any of this.

“I shouldn't have worried that much. He just took the day off to attend his sister's wedding,” Nino explained and sat down next to Jun. He heard his friend's relieved thoughts followed by some ideas how Ohno would look like in a wedding dress.

Nino suppressed a sigh. How could Jun not realize how deeply in love he was with Ohno when he was already thinking about marrying him?!

_ _ _

It was Friday evening and the “team” was meeting again, this time at Nino's and Shunsuke's flat. The other three wanted to know if Nino made any progress.

Nino had brought Chinese food with him on his way home and now there were all sitting around their table in the living room, waiting for Nino to start reporting.

Grinning, Nino told them about how he asked Ohno to play along, promising him that Jun would soon start a relationship with him. He went on telling them about how he and Ohno would spend lunch break together, leaving little notes on each other's desks and that he brought Ohno a cup of coffee in the morning from a nearby shop.

He had been interrogated by Jun afterwards why he did that. Nino had acted as if there was nothing wrong with bringing coffee for a colleague and had let it slip that he thought that Ohno was cute when he had thanked him. Jun had made a sour face for the rest of the day.

“I just hope he will forgive me someday,” Nino sighed and Nana patted his back.

 

“Of course he will. Maybe not that fast, but he will see through your intentions afterwards and will be happy about your efforts,” she comforted Nino.

“And if not, you still have us,” Aiba commented and gave him a wide smile.

“Right!” Nino agreed. It would hurt him a lot to loose Jun over such a thing (though he was sure Nana was right, Jun would forgive him at some point), but he could imagine a life without Jun being his friend. Still, a life without Aiba was something he did not even want to think of. Aiba had always been there...

“But it sounds as if you're doing a great job, Nino,” Nana started. “I have a feeling you're on the right track. My brother is in an incredibly bad mood lately, which basically just shows that he is not content with himself and it will only be a matter of days until he finally does something against it,” she explained.

“I hope you're right. Ohno is indeed really cute. Who knows how longer I can resist?” Nino joked, but none of the three laughed.

Your'e such an idiot.

Nino shot a look at his brother. Why was he assaulting him like that in his mind? What did he do wrong? He tried to read Nana's thoughts and only found out that she was thinking the same as his brother. Aiba, by the way, was thinking nothing at all.

“If you steal Ohno from Jun, not only my brother will never forgive you. I will personally take care about your suffering,” Nana proclaimed and Nino held his arms up.

“Don't worry. I'd never do that,” he reassured her and a second later, she hit him lightly onto his shoulder to show that she was putting her trust into him.

They talked about other stuff for a while until Nana decided that it was time to go home to her moody brother whom she shared her flat with.

“I'll drive you home,” Shunsuke offered but Nana declined, saying that she's a grown-up woman that knows how to use the underground. However, Nino's brother wasn't in the mood for discussions.

“Don't be silly. It's not about if you know how to ride the underground, but rather that it's already late and there are weird people outside,” Shunsuke insisted.

Nana looked over to Nino and Aiba, obviously fishing for help, but Nino knew that it was useless to discuss with his brother when he had decided on something. So he simply shrugged and Nana accepted her “defeat”.

After the two had left, Aiba helped Nino to wash the dishes. They worked silently next to each other. Nino had tried to read Aiba's thoughts, but again, there was just silence. Aiba was obviously concentrating very hard on his task of drying the plates.

Suddenly, said person began to speak.

“Ne, Nino-chan, I think it's really amazing that you're doing this for Jun.”

Nino smiled and turned towards his best friend.

“I would do this for all of my friends,” he replied and handed Aiba another plate.

“For me too?” Aiba wanted to know.

“Of course. I want you to be happy,” Nino gave back. He was trying really hard to hear what Aiba was thinking, but he simply couldn't. Panic rose up in Nino. Could it be that he was loosing his ability? That would be a disaster. He hadn't finished his mission with Jun and being able to read Jun's thoughts was helping him a lot. Nino even considered taking a bath again and throwing in Shunsuke's hair-dryer this time. He was so agitated that he nearly missed Aiba's response.

“I am happy, Nino!”

All his worries flew away and a wide grin spread over Nino's face. He could see Aiba's pink cheeks and felt very special for having been able to hear Aiba saying that. Proudly, Nino continued his work and Aiba stayed silent.

When Shunsuke came back he found the two sitting on the sofa. Nino was still grinning from ear to ear and Aiba was smiling shyly at Nino's twin. Shunsuke decided that he better not asked.

It didn't took long until Aiba decided that it was time to go home as well. When he was gone, Nino immediately tried his mind-reading ability on his brother. He could clearly hear everything that was running through his brother's mind. Nino was relieved. So, his ability wasn't gone. It just didn't work on Aiba for some reason...

_ _ _

Nino entered the office on Monday morning, excited. He managed to ignore all the thoughts his female colleagues were having about his outfit and only let a few through to boost his self-confidence.

He was looking forward to meet Jun again as well as Ohno. He was pretty sure he'd be able to crack Jun this week. There wasn't so much left to do after all since Jun was already in love.

“Good morning, Oh-chan,” he shouted when he arrived at his seat and the other one threw Nino a wide smile.

“Good morning, Jun,” Nino chirped, but Jun just huffed something imcomprehensible, trying to stop himself from looking at the still smiling Ohno.

Nino smiled. He had Jun where he wanted him and soon he would make his final move.

“Good morning, Mr. Ninomiya,” he suddenly heard a deep voice and his head shot up. His boss was standing at his desk, carrying an apologetic expression.

“I know you're pretty busy here, but I need your help. Could you come to my office with me, please?”

Nino nodded and stood up. He saw Jun throwing him a wicked grin and bit down a remark. Jun would stop grinning like that quite soon.

When they arrived in Sakurai's office, Nino's boss pointed at a huge pile of bills.

“I tried to work on them as well, but I don't have time for it. I'm really sorry Mr. Ninomiya. I know you're on an important mission and although I usually dislike relationships between colleagues, I'd agree that Mr. Matsumoto and Mr. Ohno should finally find each other, so everybody can go on working in peace. So, I'm rooting for you here. However, I need you to help me with this stack of paper here,” Sakurai explained and Nino was amazed how well his boss was informed about the things going on in his company.

Sakurai sat down on his table.

“I also did something against my loud thoughts,” he smiled and Nino grinned.

“Thank you,” he said and sat down on the table with the bills. It would be a lot of work to finish them all, but the sooner he'd get it done, the faster he could be back to Ohno and Jun.

They worked in silence for about two hours. Nino had no idea what his boss was doing, but he really couldn't hear one single thought. When he thought about it, Nino began to wonder why Sakurai was so relaxed when he found out that Nino had the ability to read other people's thoughts. Now, he was able to hide his own thoughts. Maybe his boss knew a lot more about this ability than he showed.

“Can I ask you a question?” Nino inquired therefore.

Sakurai looked up from his own work and nodded.

“Are you able to read people's thoughts too?”

After a second, his boss smiled.

“You're really smart, Mr. Ninomiya,” he gave back and Nino felt a little proud being praised like that by his boss.

“I have indeed the same ability as you,” Sakurai admitted.

“What happened to you?” Nino wanted to know.

“Basically, the same thing that you went through. I had so much work to do, but I also needed to take a bath, so I took my laptop into the bath with me. I put it on the margin of the bathtub, but accidentally pushed against it and the device landed in the water together with me,” Sakurai explained.

Nino nodded. So it always worked through an electric shock...

“I was confused at the beginning, but quickly found out that it was pretty useful to know what people are thinking, especially in our business,” his boss grinned and a mischievous glance clouded his eyes.

“I understand,” Nino replied and smiled back. “Can I ask you one more thing?”

His boss shrugged and Nino took this as a yes.

“Usually, I can read every person's mind. It doesn't matter if it's a male or female, old or young person. But there is one person whose thoughts I am not able to read no matter how hard I try. Does this happen to you as well?” Nino wanted to know. It kept bugging him since Friday that he wasn't able to read Aiba's thoughts and he was pretty sure that Aiba wasn't an expert in mind reading like Sakurai who could actively hide his thoughts.

Sakurai smiled. “Yes, there is one person whose thoughts I cannot read,” he answered truthfully.

“Who?” Nino asked.

“My partner.”

With this, his boss went back to his work and left Nino to his own thoughts.

_ _ _

When Nino came back to his desk, Jun and Ohno were already gone. A look at the clock showed Nino, that it was indeed pretty late. He sighed and decided to head home as well. He'd make his final move the next day.

On his way home, Nino's thoughts wandered back to what Sakurai had told him. He had been thinking about it the whole afternoon and was pretty sure that he understood the hidden meaning in Sakurai's comment. Still, right now, he had no time to think about it. He had to finish his mission first.

The next day, Nino arrived in the office very early. He wanted to make sure to be there before Jun and Ohno. Also, he hadn't slept very well as he had been thinking a lot.

Ohno arrived a few minutes later than Jun and soon the office was filled. Nino waited a bit before he made his way to Ohno to greet him.

Nino listened to Jun's furious thoughts while he talked to Ohno who smiled as bright as the sun. Finally, Nino leaned closer to the other man and placed his hand very visibly on his butt. A wave of indignant thoughts from Ohno hit Nino quite hard but Ohno managed to keep a straight face. Nino let his hand linger on his colleague's round buttocks as if it belonged there. He even tightened his fingers while he made sure Jun had the perfect view on what was going on.

Nino could hear Jun raging in his thoughts. He was really angry and Nino waited for Jun to jump up and claim what should be his. However, although Jun was more than mad at Nino, he stayed were he was.

Frustrated, Nino finally gave Ohno a little smack on his butt before he went back to his desk. Fine, if Jun wanted it the hard way, he could have it.

“You have no idea how firm Ohno's butt is. I wonder if he likes spanking,” Nino whispered to Jun.

Before Nino even had the chance to read Jun's thoughts, he heard them being shouted into his ear.

“DON'T YOU EVER DARE TO TOUCH OHNO'S BUTT AGAIN!”

Nino had a hard time to suppress a grin. He had Jun where he wanted him. Now he only had to do some acting, so he shrugged and replied arrogantly.

“I didn't know he belongs to somebody, so I assumed his butt was free.”

“HE BELONGS TO ME!” Jun shouted and if not before he finally had all his colleague's attention.

“Ah, really?” Nino gave back and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “There was no sign with your name on him.”

Jun growled and quickly moved towards Ohno. The smaller man had no idea what was going on, but when Jun's lips touched his, he let out a soft moan.

It was a quick, but passionate kiss and there were no doubts that these two had been waiting for each other for too long.

Still, Nino felt the urge to add something.

“But now only his lips seem to be yo- “

Before Nino even ended his sentence, Jun's hands had moved to Ohno's butt, grabbing it possessively. Jun pressed Ohno onto his side and the other one circled his arms around his new boyfriend's waist.

Finally, the whole office erupted into applause and congratulations. Ohno blushed, his face hidden against the taller man's chest, but Jun looked like a proud lion.

Nino let himself fall onto his chair. He did it.

Mission accomplished. Good job!

His head swirled around and indeed, his boss was standing in the door of his office, smiling softly at the new couple.

Thanks.

Nino could see Sakurai looking over to him, giving a small nod.

You're free to leave the office now, if you want to.

Nino's eyes grew wide, but then he remembered that his boss was able to read other people's minds as well.

I'd like to take this offer.

Sakurai nodded again and Nino got up and grabbed his jacket.

It's better to stick to the truth.

Sakurai was looking straight into Nino's eyes.

I will.

With this, Nino rushed out of the office, eager to accomplish his own mission. How could he have been so blind. He wasn't any better than Jun...

_ _ _

“Nino-chan?” Aiba opened the door. He was wearing a simple white shirt and his sweatpants. “What are you doing here?” Luckily, Aiba was on the evening shift, so he was still at home.

“I need to talk to you.” With this, Nino pushed Aiba back inside his flat.

Aiba, still a bit confused about Nino's sudden appearance, gestured his friend to sit down on his sofa while letting himself fall next to him.

“Allright, I'm all ears,” Aiba said and smiled at Nino who felt a wave of happiness floating through his body upon seeing his best friend's smile. Still, he felt insecure. He had no idea how this conversation would end for him. However, he had to try.

“Ma-chan, there is something I haven't told you,” Nino began and he saw Aiba's smile fading.

“I am sorry for keeping a secret and not telling you,” Nino continued. Did he see a flash of panic on Aiba's face?

“I… I can read other people's thoughts!”

Aiba's mouth fell open, but a second later he grinned.

“Really?” he asked and scooted a bit closer to Nino.

Nino nodded and told Aiba the story about the bathtub incident and how he learned that he could read the thoughts of the people around him. Aiba got very excited upon hearing that this was indeed possible.

Nino was really relieved. He had hoped that Aiba would believe him and not judge him in any way, just like he had always done it before. And this time as well, Aiba hadn't let him down.

“This is really amazing,” Aiba said for the umpteenth time.

“It is. It was also really helpful on my mission with Jun, who, by the way, finally confessed his love to Ohno this morning.”

Aiba squealed and pumped his fist.

“However...,” Nino started and Aiba immediately listened carefully again. “There is one person whose thoughts I cannot read,” he admitted.

“Who?”

“You!”

Aiba pouted. “This is not fair. Why me? I am your best friend. You should be able to read my thoughts. I want you to read my thou-”

Nino grabbed Aiba's hand, the only way to make him stop when he was ranting like that.

“Because apparently you cannot read the mind of the person you love,” Nino explained and smiled at Aiba.

“L...love?” the other man whispered.

Nino nodded. “Ma-chan, I am so sorry for only realizing it now. I took your existence for granted and never thought that my feelings for you were more than just friendship. I always assumed that you would be by my side,” Nino said and looked into Aiba's brown eyes that started to fill with tears.

“However, lately, I understood that I should have valued you more, that I should make sure that you WILL stay by my side and that you won't ever leave me.”

Nino reached out to wipe away a single tear that was rolling down Aiba's cheek.

“That's why I'm asking you, and I swear I won't know your answer before you tell me, do you want to be mine, to stay with me forever?”

Nino looked into Aiba's wet eyes and the feeling of love hit him so strong that he nearly couldn't breathe any more. Aiba, his Aiba, was the most beautiful being on earth and he had always been there for him. Nino finally wanted to pay back everything Aiba had given to him, preferably give back way more than that.

“You really don't know what I am thinking?” Aiba asked and although Nino was full with feelings of love for Aiba, he had a hard time to stop himself from hitting Aiba.

“I really don't know. So if you would kindly give me an answer instead of leaving me hanging here...” Nino said and Aiba laughed.

“You deserve it,” Aiba gave back.

“I know,” Nino muttered. “You knew it way before me, didn't you?”

“From the moment I met you,” Aiba smiled softly. “Until the moment I'll leave this world,” he whispered before he took Nino's face into his hands and kissed Nino's thin lips.

Nino's mind became blank. Even if he would have been able to read Aiba's thoughts, there would have been no chance he could have concentrated on that in this moment. Aiba's kiss erased any logical thought in his mind and he circled his arms around Aiba's neck to close the distance between them.

They explored each other for quite some time and Nino realized that there was indeed a merit of not knowing what the person you were kissing was thinking. He would have been pretty distracted if he'd had Aiba's thoughts in his ears. Or even worse, if Aiba wouldn't like his kisses and was hiding it. It was way better to be able to fully concentrate on Aiba's velvet tongue, his taste and his warmth.

Somehow, they ended up snuggled together on Aiba's sofa, Nino's head on Aiba's chest while Aiba had his arms loosely around Nino's back, grabbing his butt once in a while. This reminded Nino of what had happened in the morning.

“You know, it was pretty much fun to bring Ohno and Jun together,” Nino started.

“I can imagine,” Aiba gave back. “If you're not tired of bringing people together, we still have two lovebirds left that might need your help.”

“Yeah, my brother is slow with such things,” Nino gave back.

“This must run in the family,” Aiba sniggered. “And Nana is Jun's sister... that's why she is also slow.”

Nino laughed. However, it was indeed true that Aiba had been the only one who was aware of his feelings. Luckily, this man belonged to him now.

“But this time I have you as my helper,” Nino declared and Aiba hugged Nino tightly.

“Yep. I'll do my best,” he said, excited. “Maybe we can invite them over and watch some porn...”

Nino sighed in frustration. “Ma-chan, porn is not the solution to everything. And, by the way, you are only allowed to watch porn with me!”

And with this said, Nino let his hands run under Aiba's shirt, feeling the soft skin under his fingertips...


End file.
